Don’t dilly-Dahly - time for a summer read!

Children across the country are being invited to learn about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG and Fantastic Mr Fox this summer.

Published:14:00Saturday 11 June 2016

Children across the country are being invited to learn about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG and Fantastic Mr Fox this summer.

These and other books by popular storyteller Road Dahl are the theme for the 2016 Summer Reading Challenge (or the Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge as it is known in Scotland).

The annual event, created by national charity The Reading Agency, aims to get three quarters of a million children into libraries each summer to improve their reading skills and help with their confidence.

So for anyone with a child aged between four and 11 there is a summer adventure waiting for them as soon as the school finishes!

The theme for this year’s event is The Big Friendly Read as it is linking up with the global, year-long Roald Dahl 100 celebrations to honour the world’s No.1 storyteller.

It will feature some of Roald Dahl’s best-loved characters – giants, cats, ghosts and many more – together with the amazing artwork of his principal illustrator, Sir Quentin Blake. Invention, mischief and friendship are all topics explored in both Roald Dahl’s books and The Big Friendly Read, which will encourage children to expand their reading by exploring similar themes across the best contemporary writing for kids.

Every time your child finishes a book they’ll get stickers and rewards and there’s a certificate for everyone who completes the Summer Reading Challenge. It is open to all school children of all reading abilities – they can sign up at their local library as the school summer term ends and the holidays begin.

And they can read whatever they like to complete the challenge – including fact books, joke books, picture books, audio books – just as long as they are borrowed from the library.